an article from "
The Unknown Soldiers" blog, and "
Travis Manion Foundation"
This story, written by
Sgt. John Ortiz, is readily available to the public. Any news organization could have picked it up and relayed this important story from the front lines to the American public. Instead, some reporters and producers opted to talk about Lindsay Lohan's missing purse and nude magazine shoot.
Ignorance Is Bliss
Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
While reading "news" on the
CNN website Monday at lunchtime, a link to
this People Magazine story appeared in the website's "top story" section. It is about Lindsay Lohan's purse being snatched during a vacation to Hawaii.
As if this hard-hitting journalism isn't enough, CNN's main competitors,
Fox News and
MSNBC, are also busy keeping us informed on Lohan's upcoming pictorial in Playboy. Yet when I searched for information on a Dec. 3 terrorist attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, I came up with zero results on all three websites.
On that terrible Saturday afternoon in Wardak province, three Fort Bliss-based American soldiers were killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device, according to the Pentagon.
Sgt. 1st Class Clark Corley Jr., 35, Oxnard, California
Spc. Ryan Lumley, 21, Lakeland, Florida
Spc. Thomas Mayberry, 21, Springville, California
From Fort Bliss, Texas, to the cities and towns where these soldiers grew up and lived, all the way to eastern Afghanistan, where they died, Sgt. 1st Class Corley, Spc. Lumley, and Spc. Mayberry are being remembered.
Images courtesy: Maj. Terence Kelley
This story, written by
Sgt. John Ortiz, is readily available to the public. Any news organization could have picked it up and relayed this important story from the front lines to the American public. Instead, some reporters and producers opted to talk about a troubled celebrity's missing purse and nude magazine shoot.
Still, the national media's ignorance does not trivialize the moving tributes to these brave soldiers, from Fort Bliss all the way to Afghanistan. As Sgt. Ortiz explains, "Action" Company, which all three soldiers were a part of, had already run 40 dangerous missions to escort elite explosive ordnance disposal technicians to disable bombs buried beneath the battlefield.
With another successful mission almost concluded, the soldiers were on their way back to a remote combat outpost when a roadside bomb detonated beneath their vehicle. At a subsequent Afghanistan memorial service, their company commander spoke directly to his soldiers' grieving loved ones.
"Mrs. Corley, Mrs. Mayberry, and Mrs. Lumley my thoughts and prayers are with you during these difficult times,"
Capt. Adrian Koss said. "I know that no words of mine can replace your loss or ease your grief, but I hope that you can take some solace knowing that Clark, Thomas, and Ryan died as heroes, next to their brothers, and for a country they loved."
Clark Corley loved his family and talked constantly about his son. Thomas Mayberry was a hard-working weapons expert who distinguished himself on the battlefield. Ryan Lumley was planning a big barbeque for all his fellow soldiers and their families when they got home.
"Clark, Thomas, Ryan it was an honor to serve beside you," Capt. Koss said. "I know you’ll be watching over the men of second platoon and Action Company and I know they will continue to honor you through their service to our country and to each other."
Lindsay Lohan is not a hero. She is a celebrity troublemaker who was turned into a moneymaker by Manhattan and Hollywood media executives. Because of the continuing misconduct by a corrupt, ratings-driven press, the American public knows more about Lohan than three remarkable young men who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Today, let's think about the pain being experienced by soldiers from Texas' Fort Bliss to Afghanistan's Wardak province. Let's think about the Corley, Lumley, and Mayberry families, who mourn their loved ones during this holiday season. And the next time CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC start talking about Lindsay Lohan, let's all turn the channel.
Washington Time
Kabul Time
London Time
